Tabs

18 July 2011

Not much detailed information there exists about fountain pens. A lot of research must still be done and, as a consequence, we all are subject to make mistakes.

Such was my case when I spoke about pocket pens one year ago (May 17, 2010). Despite my initial doubts, I ended up publishing a chronicle in which I said that they were invented by Pilot in 1968-69. Well, I was mistaken.

This Platinum pocket pen was made before 1968, as the nib shows through the logo on the nib.

The old Platinum logo.

Again, the old Platinum logo on a nib from, probably, the 1940s. The nib shows both the brand name —Platinum— and the name of the company —Nakaya (Seisakusho).

Now (as of July 2011) I read on the Platinum website that this company had released the first pocket pen in 1964—and that makes some sense. That explains, for instance, how the old Platinum logo –that of the world globe– can be seen on a pocket pen. The new logo –the stylized P— was introduced in 1968, according to the same website, and this contradicting some claims dating this change in 1963.

The new logo on a B nib.

The Nakaya logo, on the box and on the nib, resembling the old Platinum logo.

Later on, in the early 2000s, the old Platinum logo was revived to create that of the Nakaya line of pens.

Now, albeit the change of the logo is done in 1968, there are pen with the old logo some years later. The best way to date your pen is by checking the manufacturing date on the nib: https://estilofilos.blogspot.jp/2013/09/datation-of-japanese-pens-iv-platinum.html